Beer (known as bia in Swahili) and alcohol is an integral part of Tanzanian society and local brands hold a strong sense of national pride among the Tanzanian population. [1] There is a considerable amount of brewing and drinking done in the country. Tanzania ranks 6th in Africa for beer consumption and contributes to over 3% of the African consumption. [2] However, over 90% of the national consumption is either homemade or from the informal sector. [3] Bottled beer is expensive for the majority of the population and is almost 6 times more expensive than the maize beers. Nonetheless, beer sales and taxes are a vital part of the Tanzanian economy.
Beer is largely dominated by Tanzania Breweries Limited and East African Breweries Limited under the local company Serengeti Breweries Limited. Both companies have some of the largest revenues in the country and are listed on the stock exchange. [4] Tanzania Breweries Limited is the largest taxpayer in the country and made over 3 trillion Tanzanian shillings in revenue in 2022. [5]
Tanzania Breweries Limited (TBL) began in 1932 as Tanganyika Breweries limited and was later purchased by Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) in 1935. Both the companies were merged in 1936 to form the current still operation company of the East African Breweries Limited (EABL). Tanzania Breweries was nationalized by the government in 1976 as part of the Arusha Declaration and then sold to SABMiller in 1993 after 25 years of failed operations. [6] The company's ownership composition has changed various times, however, SABMiller still holds the majority stake in the company and is now listed as TBL on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange. The company is the largest tax payer in the country and the most traded stock on the Dar bourse. [7] [8] TBL currently has an 80% market share in the Tanzanian beer market. [2]
Serengeti Breweries Limited is the second largest brewer in the country and holds approximately 15% of the bottled beer market. [2] The company was founded in 1988 as Associated Breweries Limited with their flag ship brand Serengeti Lager. In 2002 the company was renamed to Serengeti Breweries Limited and was headquartered in Dar es Salaam. In 2010 51% of the company was acquired by East African Breweries marking their re-entry into the Tanzanian beer market since their forced exit in 1976. The company operates 3 production facilities in Dar es Salaam (300,000 HL), Mwanza (600,000 HL) and Moshi (500,000 HL). [9] The company is not directly traded on the stock exchange however their parent company EABL is cross listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange.
Incorporated in 2005, Qingdao-Sino Tanzanian breweries is a Chinese company and is a small player in the market and is more known by its two brands King Orxy Lager and King Orxy Dark Lager.
Currently, most of the craft beer is brewed by local small scale breweries. The formal craft brewery market is not developed and currently only two craft breweries, namely Twiga Brewery based in Arusha and Crafty Dee's Brewing Company Ltd based in Dar es Salaam, operate in Tanzania. TwigaBrew, Tanzania's first craft brewery (est. 2015), has two brands, the Twiga Ale and the Twiga Stout, while Crafty Dee's flagship is the Dee's Gold, a hoppy pilsner. [10] [11]
There are many different brands produced in Tanzania by the Brewers and many are also International brands such as Caster Lager and Pilsner however below is a list of the 12 domestic brands. [12] [13]
Brand | Brewer | ABV | Style | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Kilimanjaro Premium Lager | Tanzania Breweries Limited | 4.5% | Pale lager | |
Serengeti Premium Lager | Serengeti Breweries Limited | 5.5% | Premium lager | |
Tanzanian Kibo Gold | Tanzania Breweries Limited | 4.8% | Pale lager | |
Safari Lager | Tanzania Breweries Limited | 5.5% | Pale lager | |
Ndovu Special Malt | Tanzania Breweries Limited | 4.8% | Pale lager | |
Uhuru Peak Lager | Serengeti Breweries Limited | 5.8% | Amber Lager/Vienna | |
Serengeti The Kick | Serengeti Breweries Limited | 7% | Imperial Pils/Strong Pale Lager | |
Bia Bingwa | Tanzania Breweries Limited | 7% | Imperial Pils/Strong Pale Lager | |
King Oryx Lager | Qingdao Sino Tanzanian Breweries | 6% | Pale lager | |
King Oryx Dark Lager | Qingdao Sino Tanzanian Breweries | Dunkel/Tmavy | ||
Twiga Ale | Twiga Brewery | 4.5% | Golden Ale | |
Twiga Stout | Twiga Brewery | 5.6% | Stout |
The Miller Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller. Molson Coors acquired the full global brand portfolio of Miller Brewing Company in 2016, and operates the Miller Brewery at the site of the original Miller Brewing Company complex.
South African Breweries is a major brewery headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa and was a wholly owned subsidiary of SABMiller until its interests were sold to Anheuser-Busch InBev on 10 October 2016. South African Breweries is now a direct subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV.
SABMiller plc was a South African multinational brewing and beverage company headquartered in Woking, England on the outskirts of London until 10 October 2016 when it was acquired by AB InBev for US$107-billion. It was the world's second-largest brewer measured by revenues and was also a major bottler of Coca-Cola. Its brands included Foster's, Miller, and Pilsner Urquell. It operated in 80 countries worldwide and in 2009 sold around 21 billion litres of beverages. Since 10 October 2016, SABMiller is a business division of AB InBev, a Belgian multinational corporation with headquarters in Leuven.
Castle Brewery is one of the oldest commercial breweries in South Africa. As company-endorsed legend would have it, the company was founded by Charles Glass in Johannesburg in 1894. UCT history professor Anne Kelk Mager has argued that the official SAB story overemphasized the role of Charles and that it was his wife Lisa Glass who was primarily responsible for the creation of Castle. It later merged with other breweries to form South African Breweries, which still later merged with Miller of the United States to form SABMiller.
Castle Lager is a South African pale lager. It is the flagship product of South African Breweries and has been recognised as the National Beer of South Africa, based on the fact that it is 100% grown and produced in the country.
Beer in Africa, especially lager, is produced commercially in most African countries, and indigenous people also make varieties of beer. Beer is served in various locales, from neighbourhood shebeens to upscale bars. Many countries have standardized beer bottle sizes, which are cleaned and re-used, so when buying beer at a store, people often must pay a deposit on the bottle and the price of the beer. An alternative to glass-bottle beers is local beer sold in tetra-pak style paper cartons.
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The Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE) is a stock exchange located on Ohio Street, west of Kivukoni, south east of Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital and largest city in Tanzania. It was incorporated in September 1996 and trading started in April 1998. It is a member of the African Stock Exchanges Association and the World Federation of Exchanges. The exchange is open five days a week, from Monday through Friday. The trading days are weekly from Monday to Friday, starting from 10.00 am to 14.00 pm.
SABMiller was one of the top five global brewing companies, and had a range of over 150 beers, including international beers such as Pilsner Urquell, and Miller Genuine Draft, and local ones such as Gambrinus and Castle Milk Stout.
Tanzania Portland Cement Company Limited (TPCC), also Twiga Cement is a cement-manufacturing company in Tanzania. It is the first company in Tanzania to start manufacturing cement; in 1966.
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, commonly known as AB InBev, is a Belgian-Brazilian multinational drink and brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium and is the largest brewer in the world. In 2023, the company was ranked 72nd in the Forbes Global 2000. Additionally, AB InBev has a global functional management office in New York City, and regional headquarters in São Paulo, London, St. Louis, Mexico City, Bremen, Johannesburg, and others. It has approximately 630 beer brands in 150 countries.
Tanga Cement Public Limited Company is a cement manufacturing company in Tanzania. Its shares of stock are listed on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange, where they trade under the symbol TCCL.
Absa Bank Tanzania Limited (ABT), formerly Barclays Bank Tanzania Limited, is a commercial bank in Tanzania and a subsidiary of South Africa-based Absa Group Limited. ABT is licensed by the Bank of Tanzania, the country's central bank and national banking regulator.
TransCentury Limited is an infrastructure company whose stock is "listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) with three divisions across 14 countries in East, Central and Southern Africa".
Kgalagadi Breweries (Pty) Limited are brewers based in Gaborone, Botswana. They produce lager beers, traditional beers, bottled water and soft drinks under license. The brewery started out as Prinz Brau, with two brands, Prinz Brau and Prinz Deluxe.
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Tanzania Breweries Limited, also referred to as TBL, is the oldest and largest brewing company in Tanzania.
Swissport Tanzania is an aviation service provider in Tanzania. The company entered the Tanzanian market in 2001 after the acquisition of Dar es Salaam Airports Handling Company (DAHACO) by the parent company Swissport International. The company currently operates Ground handling, Cargo Handling, Aircraft maintenance and Fueling services at Julius Nyerere International Airport and Kilimanjaro International Airport. The company has also recently expanded its footprint due to the current growth saturation at the major airports into Songwe Airport and Mtwara Airport. The company is a public company and was listed on the Dar Stock Exchange in 2003.
Tanzania Commercial Bank, formerly known as TPB Bank Plc, is a commercial bank in Tanzania. It is licensed and supervised by the Bank of Tanzania, the central bank and national banking regulator.
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